'Viking' was a job description, not a matter of heredity, massive ancient DNA study shows
https://www.science.org/news/2020/09/viking-was-job-description-not-matter-heredity-massive-ancient-dna-study-shows?utm_campaign=ScienceNow&utm_source=Social&utm_medium=Facebook&
Interesting article. I knew it, as I have done some work on Vikings. Thanks for the link.
Oh yeah definitely. The blonde hair "Vikings" they talk about today would have been of likely Sami heritage (my Norwegian great grandfather was almost all Sami), who inhabited Norway and north since before the Vikings. However, vikings had a long history of conquering other nations, and clearly this wasn't done through genocide. For example, the people of Normandy classically had very dark hair and eyes.
Also Vikings is just a modern day name for the Scandinavian seafaring culture. It wasn't a "job title". It's a culture. Culture isn't necessarily limited by race, but may create casts within cultures. Job titles would be Landsmann, Jarl, etc, or for just a soldier, a Drang. That's like saying Roman was just a job title. Lol They also didn't call themselves Roman, but Quirites just the same as Vikings. That's a modern day title to a culture.
Quote from: Dune on September 20, 2021, 06:22:11 AMInteresting article. I knew it, as I have done some work on Vikings. Thanks for the link.
I thought you might be interested. :)
Quote from: WAS on September 20, 2021, 07:48:27 PMAlso Vikings is just a modern day name for the Scandinavian seafaring culture. It wasn't a "job title". It's a culture. Culture isn't necessarily limited by race, but may create casts within cultures. Job titles would be Landsmann, Jarl, etc, or for just a soldier, a Drang. That's like saying Roman was just a job title. Lol They also didn't call themselves Roman, but Quirites just the same as Vikings. That's a modern day title to a culture.
I don't think "job description" is meant to be taken literally.
If you think about it, it is obvious that Vikings mixed with the local population over a period of almost a thousand years.